Did the Sun Come Out, or Did You Just Smile at Me?
by pillowsnfeathers17
Summary: a Seth Clearwater love story


. . . . . . . .

**_Valerie:_**

. . . . . . . .

"No."

"Oh, come on."

"Jacob, I said _no_. No means no."

"Well, you're already here, so tough luck."

My stomach dropped to my feet as I watched in horror. He pulled up to a strange house with the knowledge that I don't like surprises.

I locked my fingers onto the seat. "You said we were getting ice cream."

"I lied." He said plainly.

"Jake..."

He yanked the keys out of the ignition. "Don't be such a baby."

"I can't! I mean - I wouldn't have agreed to come if -"

He made a funny noise in his throat. "You would never agree to this if I told you, which is why I disguised it with a hot fudge sundae."

I chewed on my cheek, a feeling of defeat washing over me. I didn't like it.

"What are you so afraid of? They're just people."

I sighed, watching out the window again. I could see halfway into the backyard. "Jake, I'm not going."

"Just give it a chance."

"It makes me uncomfortable." I admitted. "I don't…like people."

He turned his head to give me a look.

"You know as well as anyone that I'm not a social butterfly." I said, shoving his shoulder. The anxiety was being replaced with anger.

"They're not going to say anything. I've already brought Bella here."

"And you bring me as a second choice when she ditches you?"

He didn't say anything. Only a grin was plastered to his face.

"Aren't your bon fires, like, super secretive, or something?" I asked, trailing off at the end. I was distracted - no, distracted is an understatement. I was completely absorbed.

A boy came out of the house through the front door. He jumped down the concrete stairs and continued towards the backyard, glancing at Jake's car. He smiled a little and waved to Jacob, but noticed me and stopped dead in his tracks.

In any other circumstance I would find it a little creepy and feel very self-conscious for a stranger to stare at me that way, but for whatever reason, I didn't. I felt a little ball of warmth in my chest, radiating through the rest of my body and tugging my lips into a smile. The same thing seemed to happen to him as he lifted his hand and waved, just as dazed as I was.

The warmth rushed up to my cheeks and my smile turned shy. That part wasn't so new, but it meant so much more than I expected. I had a weird feeling that I'd met him before, although I was certain I'd never met any of Jacob's wolfy friends. It was crazy, but no matter how stubbornly I denied it, my heart insisted that it was already set on him. I didn't even know his name.

There was a loud, blaring noise that caused us both to jump out of our skins. Jacob snickered as he punched the horn again.

The boy in front of the car kicked the bumper and ran off into the backyard to join the others.

"I haven't seen the kid smile like that in weeks." Jake muttered.

"Huh?" I asked dumbly, still staring at the same spot.

"Seth's girlfriend just moved across the country. It's been really hard on him. He hasn't even come out of his room."

I was thrilled to know his name, but completely deflated to find out he had a girlfriend. It must have been noticeable.

"But he seems bright and cheery now." Jake said, bumping my arm with his elbow and raising his eyebrows up and down.

I shoved his shoulder again. "Do they have food?" I said, trying to ease my newfound excitement. All of the sudden, I could barely sit still any longer.

"Don't you already have some man candy?" He joked, opening his door and jumping out before I could say something.

I couldn't do anything physical to hurt him at the moment. I would have to get him back later.

But if I freeze up like that when I see the boy again, I don't know if I'll remember.

. . . . . . . .

_**Seth:**_

I was pretty sure it would burst right through my chest.

I didn't run far at all, just from the house to the backyard, and my heart was running an endless marathon. I grabbed my shirt to make sure it was staying inside of me.

"Look who's alive." Paul greeted. I guess it was a greeting, anyway.

I could barely hear him over that thumping noise in my ears. I tried to shake it away.

"We missed you." Emily stood up to hug me with one arm. She kissed my cheek. "You're warm." She commented, pressing her fingers to my skin.

"Em, don't you know by now?" Quil asked, a little concerned himself. "Being warm is a wolf thing."

"But he's extra warm. Are you feeling okay?"

I really thought about that. Was I sick? My stomach was swirling like a toilet bowl, and my heart was starting to almost hurt, banging against my ribcage like that. Maybe I was going to spontaneously combust, or something along those lines.

"Yeah." I choked, clearing my throat and sitting down next to Leah.

"He hasn't breathed fresh air in a month." She said, throwing the bag of marshmallows at me. "It's like he's a fish out of water."

Everyone turned their attention from me to Jacob, kicking open the fence gate. They greeted him, obviously more interested in the girl trying helplessly to hide behind him.

"This is Valerie." He yanked her out from behind him so we could get a good look at her. "She goes to school with Bella."

_Valerie._

"Hi." She said quietly, her voice easily the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard.

A bunch of eyes were drawn back to me, all of those that could hear my heart beating faster and louder than before.

Jacob sat down next to me after he introduced everyone, leaving enough room for Valerie to sit between us. Her scent overwhelmed my senses. I thought I was going to pass out.

She glanced sideways at me, smiling and tucking her hair behind her ear. It was the color of chocolate-covered strawberries.

"Seth, share the marshmallows." Paul told me, a smirk playing on his lips. Others chuckled.

I remembered the bag in my lap. I picked it up with a shaky hand, offering it to Valerie.

She smiled again, setting my heart into overdrive. "Thanks."

I nodded, not trusting my voice in the slightest.

Thankfully, the attention was lifted from me as separate conversations were started. Valerie and I were the only ones not talking. She tried listening in on Jake and Embry, talking about something new Jake added to his bike, but easily got bored by the unfamiliar vocabulary. I couldn't tell if she noticed I was struggling not to stare at her.

"So, um…"

I stopped breathing, listening to her every word.

She poked a stick through her marshmallow, adjusting it over the fire. "You're name's Seth, right?"

"Yup." I said, even though I didn't trust it. "And you're Valerie?" Hearing myself say her name…

She nodded. "That's me."

I swallowed hard. "Nice to meet you."

She smiled again, dropping it when she realized her marshmallow was on fire. "Nice to meet you, too." She giggled after blowing out the fire.

"So how long have you known Jacob?" I asked, only because I had no idea what to say and I wanted to keep conversation going.

"Jake, Bella, and I were all close when we were young." She gently slid the marshmallow off of the stick. "I knew Bella because her dad worked with my dad at the police station, and I met Jake through her."

"So you've known him your whole life?" I guessed, really wondering why we were only meeting for the first time today.

She squinted her green eyes. "Well, when Bella moved with her mom, we all kind of...drifted apart. And when she came back, we got back together."

I smiled for no particular reason. She smiled back, probably confused by my random smile.

"I'm sorry," I felt why Emily thought I was extra warm in the cheeks.

She laughed again, forcing my smile to grow. "You're sorry for smiling?"

I half shrugged. "I don't know." The smile wouldn't go away.

"You shouldn't be." Our smiling eyes locked together. "Smiling is delightfully contagious." She popped the gooey whiteness into her mouth, covering it with her hand when it stuck to her lips.

"Yeah." I agreed. Her pink cheeks were decorated by dimples, and that's when I decided that I could not live without that smile.


End file.
